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TOO MANY AWARDS?

November 2005

“You can have too much of a good thing,” goes the old saying. But Sway hotelier Tony Barnfield is not complaining despite being showered by awards from all quarters during the past year.
“First,” he says, “the work we had done to benefit those with disabilities was rewarded with a Judges Prize for Excellence in continuing commitment to the interests of disabled people by the Southampton Centre for Independent Living.”
Next came an award as the “Best Breakfast in the South”, coinciding with an appearance on television’s “Meridian Tonight”, to be followed by no less than six favourable reviews in the national press.
In August, the small four-bedroom restaurant with rooms won acclaim in the first Edge Employer Awards, rewarding businesses across the country who work with young people. The Nurse’s Cottage beat off competition from companies of all sizes in Hampshire and received a certificate at a ceremony in London hosted by Jamie Oliver, whose “15” restaurant in the capital has a similar policy of training the young from scratch. Over the past seven years, over 80 Sway teenagers have passed through the doors of Tony Barnfield’s emporium and three are now engaged in full-time hospitality and catering training.
More recently, Springboard UK’s annual ceremony favoured The Nurse’s Cottage with second place in their Young People Award, backed by American Express, the Sway business being beaten to top place by Compass Group UK & Ireland’s Junior Chef Academy. The citation at the ceremony said that The Nurse’s Cottage had been “a passionate entry, with originality and a real sense of ‘person’ about it. A great deal of personal effort had been invested in making this Highly Commended project work.”
Only days earlier, the Tourism ExSEllence Awards organised by Tourism South East had named The Nurse’s Cottage Runner Up in the Bed & Breakfast of the Year category.
Also this Autumn, the AA has for the third year in succession awarded Five Red Diamonds, the highest possible grading possible, duly matched by the RAC’s coveted premier Little Gem Award.
Finally, as the Sway business’s fourteenth main accommodation season was drawing to a close, Tony Barnfield was contacted by the Condé Nast Johansens organisation with a nomination for Wine List of the Year in Country Houses, Small Hotels and Inns.
“We do try hard to be the best at everything we do, from the smallest details to our overall performance, and it is this that people seem to appreciate,” says a delighted Tony Barnfield. “However, we now have so many certificates to hang on the walls that we are running out of space! But, then, you can’t have too much of a good thing!”

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